Standing at the Downtown Santa Monica Farmers Market, you can practically see Michael's, one of the restaurants in the vanguard of the farm-to-table ethos. When chef/owner Michael McCarty debuted it in 1979, he was only 25 years old and the farmers market hadn't yet launched. This week, the restaurant celebrates 45 years in business.
"In those days, each major city had six or eight major restaurants," McCarty says. "I came here because my parents had moved to California. I got here in December of '75 and the weather was stunning. After [spending] the first half of the '70s in Paris, I said, 'This is it. This is what I'm going to do.'"
Portrait of the artist as a young chef. Michael McCarty cut his teeth running an illegal pop-up in Paris before setting up shop in Santa Monica. Photo courtesy of Michael's.
McCarty had already run an illegal pop-up on Île Saint-Louis. Back then, the island in the heart of Paris was still "a little village." Vendors would leave produce, cheese, bread, fish, and meat on his doorstep. "Whatever was there is what I cooked that night. So that thinking is always very much part of the ethos of everything that I do," McCarty says.
When the Santa Monica Farmers Market opened in 1981, McCarty made friends with many local purveyors. But some things he had to do himself. He couldn't find duck that was up to his standards so he and his collaborators built their own duck farm, out in Acton.
Two fans of French food, Julia Child and Michael McCarty, meet in Southern California. Photo courtesy of Michael's.
While the original menu at Michael's leaned more French, it isn't out of step with dishes that you can order there today. As the business evolved, McCarty took French off the menu and began naming the farmers. "People started to make fun of us. People kept saying, 'San Fernando Valley greens?' I said, 'Yeah, there's a guy out there growing this stuff.' I think he's still there."
On Sunday, April 21, 2024, Michael's will welcome back many of their alumni chefs — Nancy Silverton, Sang Yoon, Brooke Williamson, Miles Thompson, Jonathan Waxman, Brian Bornemann, and Kazuto Matsusaka, among others — for a special anniversary tasting. All proceeds benefit No Kid Hungry.
The patio at Michael's has long been a popular gathering spot. Photo courtesy of Michael's.
Michael's restaurant continues to be a hotbed of culinary talent, helping launch the careers of several prominent chefs. Photo courtesy of Michael's.
A glass of champagne in every hand and a lobster on every plate — it was the '80s. Photo courtesy of Michael's.